Driving Engagement on Facebook

General

Driving engagement on Facebook can feel like a zero-sum game. Facebook is constantly changing the algorithms that determine which posts will be shown to the most people. On top of that, public opinions and trending topics are always in flux.

Creating great content can be frustrating if you’re already short on time and resources. Here’s why it’s worth it: when a user likes or shares your post, the post is more likely to be shown to their friends. In addition, Facebook rewards popular posts by showing it to more users. This can create a HUGE snowball effect, pushing your content to potential customers and fans for free.

Unfortunately, developing engagement is only getting harder for businesses. In 2018, Facebook altered their algorithm to show less content from Pages and more content from friends and family. It’s not just Facebook Pages that are suffering- in 2018, engagement was down by 50 percent from the previous year for all types of content.
Don’t worry, there are still some tried and true methods for connecting with your target audience. Use these tips to start a conversation with your followers:

Post Consistently
Posting consistent content is a great way to stay in your followers’ feeds and get them anticipating your posts. Try keeping a content calendar so you remember to post regularly and don’t underestimate the timing of your posts. You can check when your followers are most active on Facebook in your Insights tab.

Ask a Question
Start a conversation with an interesting question! For example, a car dealership might try asking, “What safety features do you look for when buying a new vehicle?” Try not to ask ‘yes or no questions’ and don’t add the phrase “comment below.” Facebook penalizes posts that make a direct request for engagement with poor reach.

Reply to Comments
Nobody likes being ignored! If your followers take the time to comment on one of your posts, reply to them! This will make them feel heard and encourage them to comment more in the future.

Be Brief
Facebook users spend an average of 1.7 seconds looking at a post. Don’t overwhelm them with paragraphs of text. Capture attention with a clever caption and visual content instead.

Avoid Engagement Bait
This tip may seem counterintuitive, but it’s an important one. Don’t drive engagement by asking users to like, share, or comment on your post. Since 2017, Facebook has been penalizing users that make direct appeals for engagement by demoting posts that use what they call “engagement bait.” If you use this tactic repeatedly, Facebook will not only demote posts using this language, they’ll demote all content produced by your page.

Boost Your Posts
The simplest way to get engagement is to pay for it. “Boosted Posts” are a simple Facebook advertisement that increase the number of users that see your post, improving the likelihood that potential customers will engage with your brand. If you are a tech-savvy individual, you’ll have no problem creating these ads. If not, HPR Marketing can help you set your page up for Facebook advertising and create a boosted post strategy that will work for your business.